The present invention relates to wind direction indicators and pertains particularly for a wind indicator for indicating optimum heading and sail trim for a sailboat.
The heading of a sailboat when leading into the wind is critical for optimum speed for a given wind. This is especially critical when racing since almost imperceptible differences in speed and wind shifts can make a difference in the winning or losing of a race.
Wind indicators are known which indicate the direction of the wind, but combination wind, optimum heading, and sail position indicators are not presently known for sailboats. The optimum heading of the boat relative to the wind when beating into the wind is critical to obtain the maximum speed out of the boat. Any slight variations from the optimum heading can result in a slight drop in the maximum speed of the boat with the result that the race can be lost. Such slight differences in speed are almost imperceptible without a very sensitive speed indicator. Most small sailboats do not carry speed indicators and thus the differences in speed can only be detected relative to a competing boat.
It is accordingly desirable to have some means that indicates both the wind direction, as well as the optimum heading of the sailboat relative to the wind direction.